Friction draft-gear.



' T. L. MoKEEIL' FRICTION DRAFT GEAR. APPLICATION FILED mi. 21. mos.

943,314. PtentedDeu14,1909.

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T. L. MGKBEN. FRICTION DRAFT-GEAR. APPLICATION PlLlln l Nk 21, 1909 $943,314. Patented Dec. 14, 1909;

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Jiffy-n1 65 5? UNITED srarns PATENT onnion- IHOIVIAS L. MCKEEN, OF SCRANTON. IPENNS YLVANIA.

retention DRAFT-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent. .Patented Dec, 14, 1909.

Application filed January 21, 1909. Serial No. 473,488.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS L. McKee), a citizen of the fnited States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement-in Friction Draft- Gears. of which the following is a-specification.

This invention relates more particularly to improvements in that type of friction draft and buliin gears for railway cars which is disclosed in- U. S. Letters Patent No. 761,53l, granted to me May 31, 1904. The said patented gear comprises a coil spring. and longitudinally movable leaf springs which extendlengthwise of the gear at one end of the coil spring and exert their pressure laterally on friction devices which are located at opposite sides thereof and cooperate with the coil spring .to yieldingly resist or cushion the movements of the draw bar in opposite directions.

The principal object of the invention is to simplify and cheapen gears of this sortv and improve the construction thereof so as to reduce the number of parts and make the gear more compact, thereby adapting it for application to cars in which the center or draftsills are located too close together to admit of the use of the gear as formerly constructed.

Other objects of the invention are to give the dra'wbar an increased travel'opposed by frictional and spring resistance as distinguished from purely spring resistance; also to do awa Y with a center follower and provide means for holding the leaf springs in place and reducing the wear on the coil springand the end follower; andto improve the gear in the other respects hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets: Figure 1 is a plan'view partially in section of a friction draft and buffing gear embodying the invention. Fig.

2 is a central longitudinal sectional elevation thereof. F 3 and 4e aretransverse sectional elevations thereof in lines 3-45 and 'l--l, respectively, Fig. 2, looking in the directions of the arrows in said figure. Fig.

5 is a perspective view of one of the friction blocks detached. Fig. 6-is a perspective view of one of the filler plates detached.

Like letters of refei'encereferto like parts in the several figures.

A represents the inner end of a drawbar, a the usual yoke or loop secured thereto, B and C the usual front and rear or outerand inner followers which extend loosely through the yoke and are-adapted to cooperate with the usual stops on the draft orcenter sills, and D a movable barrel or case which is arranged in the yoke between the followers. One end of the barrel is preferably closed and bears against one of the followers, for instance, the front follower B.

E represents a standard coil spring, preferably consisting of inner and outer coils, arranged in the closed end of the barrel; and F represents bowed leaf springs or spring plates arranged lengthwise of the gear centrallyin the open end of the barrel, at one end of the coil spring.

G represents friction blocks or wedge plates arranged in the barrel at the open end thereof opposite the leaf springs, and H represents wedges arranged between these friction blocks and the leaf springs, with their outer ends engaging the adjacent follower and having inclined faces which are pressed by the leaf springs against cooperating inclined faces on the friction blocks.

The above mentioned parts are all found in said patented gear, but in the present gear the leaf springs are preferably arranged horizontally, instead of vertically on edge. so that they are compressed vertically, and are divided into opposite sets having the convex sides of both sets turned outwardly or X0 central follower is used, and the too ders g"; which also bear-against the. same end. of'the coil spring; as the leaf springs andw'edges I represents filler plates which are arranged in the open en of the barrel at op- =pos1te sides of the leaf springs with their 'upper' and lower edges overlapping the wedges H. These filler plates are of segmental cylindrical cross-section, substanare pref rably slightly'long'er than the leaf. 85.

tially. filling the spaces in the barrel in whichthey are located, and they have bearing pieces 2' at their outer ends which project toward each other between the outer ends of the leaf springs and the adjacent Q followers 0. The inner ends of the filler lates bear against the coil spring E. These 1 er plates perform The hold the leaf springs in place, preventing lateral displacement thereof, and as their bearing pieces i beardirectly against the. outer ends of the leaf springs the wear falls on these bearing pieces and not on the follower C. As the inner ends of the filler plates bear on the coil spring they transmit the pressure directly from the follower 0 to the coil spring, thereby relieving the wedges of a part of this pressure and consequently 'reducingthe wearbetween the outer ends of the wedges and the follower when the wedges are moved transversely toward and from each'other in the operation of the ear. 'AsAahe filler. plates I and wedges l I bear against the, coil spring and 5 rings -when expanded, they also mate- I nally reduce'the wear between the engaging ends of the coil and leaf springs.

In assembling ;the gear the filler pieces pro'ect somewhat beyond the ends of the we ges and their inward movement is resisted by "the coil spring E, a inst which the friction blocksbear, and also y the friction between the friction blocks a and the facesof the barrel against which they-bear. In the continued movement of the wedges, they are forceddaterall ytoward each other by the cooperating inclined. faces of the friction blocks and wedges, and-compress or strain the leaf springs,-thus adding to the resist-- several functions. which are arranged lengthwise between said wedges and press said wedges against said tionary by its stops, and the spring and friction devices act, as above described, to resist the movement of the drawbar.

I claim'as my invention: 1. The combination of a said barrel, a coil spring in said barrel which resists the movement of said friction blocks,

wedges which extend into said barrel and have inclined-faces bearing against inclined faces on said friction blocks, leaf springs friction blocks, said friction blocks, wedges and leaf springs all bearing directly against one end of said coil spring, and means for causing a relatii'e longitudinal movement between said barrel and said wedges, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a barrel, friction blocks in said barrel, .a coil spring in said barrel, wedges which are located in said barrel and have inclined faces bearing against inclined faces on said friction blocks, leaf springs which are arranged lengthwise between said wedges and press said wedges againstsaid friction blocks, filler plates in said barrel at opposite sides of said leaf springs, said wedges, leaf springs and filler plates all bearing against one end of said coilspring, and means for causing a relative longitudinal movement between said barrel and said wedges, leaf springs and filler plates, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a drawb'ar, a barrel adapted to remain stationary when the drawbar is moved in one direction, a f0llower which is movable with the drawbar, friction blocks in sald barrel, a 0011 spring in said barrel, wedges which bear at their filler plates acting to transmit pressure from L said follower to saidcoil spring, 'substan- .tially as set forth.

4. Thecombination of a drawbar. a barrel barrel, friction j blocks which are slidable longitudinally in and a follower, each of which moves in one 'eoiiperating inclined faces located in said barrel, leat springs which are arrangedl ranged in said barrel at opposite sides of direction with the drawbar and is held from E said leaf springs and bear at opposite ends movement when the drawbar is moved in against said follower and said coil spring 15 the o posite direction, a coil spring in said and have bearing pieces arranged between barre wedges which hear at opposite ends said follower and the adjacent ends of said against said follower and said coil spring leaf springs, substantially as set forth.

and have inclined faces which bear against I \Vitness my hand, this 19th day of J an nary, 1909.

THOMAS LfncKE-m I Witnesses:

C. We PARKER,

C; B. HORNBECK.

lengthwise between said wedges and press said wedges against sald inclined faces 1n the barrel, and filler plates WlllCh are ar- 1 

